On May 17, 2014, Olympique de Marseille inaugurated its Hall of Fame, a practice consisting of honoring individuals who have achieved major things in their respective fields. This initiative by President Vincent Labrune benefited Souleymane Diawara, whose number 21 should never again be assigned to another player.
Except that the former central defender believes he was manipulated.
“My inclusion in the OM Hall of Fame? That’s bullshit. Labrune did that so as not to have me extended. At first, I didn’t even know what that meant. It was explained to me that no one was going to carry my number,” revealed the Senegalese international during an exchange with Ange GR.
Souleymane Diawara instrumentalized by Vincent Labrune
Even at the time, Souleymane Diawara did not understand the purpose of the maneuver. “I said to myself: ‘But why are you doing this? It’s no use’, he remembered. Because you didn’t extend me, removing the 21… Two years later, it was bought by the Americans and this number came back. It was abuse, it’s nonsense. »
Following the sale of OM in October 2016, the new owner Franck McCourt put an end to this Hall of Fame. Indeed, Patrice Evra chose number 21 in January 2017 after his arrival from Juventus Turin.
